Lakshmi Diener

UP Speech & Debate Union To Attend National Tournament

March 3, 2014

The University of Portland Speech and Debate Union competed at the Earl Wells Memorial Speech and Debate Tournament at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Ore., over the weekend of February 22-23. Based on the team’s success, the UP Speech and Debate Union will attend the Pi Kappa Delta National Comprehensive Tournament in Indianapolis, Indiana, March 21-23. Students were awarded the following honors at the tournament in Corvallis:

Patrick Dolan (freshman, biochemistry) won a Bronze Medal for finishing in the top 6 in the Novice division of debate.
Lakshmi Diener (freshman, communication studies) won 3rd place in the Novice division of Persuasive Speaking.
Elizabeth Hartley (junior, biology) won 1st place in the Open division of Extemporaneous Speaking.
Lisa Holm (sophomore, communication studies) won a Bronze Medal for finishing in the top 6 in the Novice division of debate and won 5th best speaker in that division.
Katie Wilson (junior, political science) won 5th best speaker in the Open division of debate.
Karina Agbisit (freshman, environmental studies) won 4th place in the Novice division of Persuasive Speaking.

For more information contact co-directors Brian Simmons at 8025 (simmonsb@up.edu), or Bohn Lattin at 7352 (lattin@up.edu).

Speech & Debate Union Results

February 3, 2014

The University of Portland’s Speech and Debate Union competed last weekend at the Fred Scheller Memorial Speech and Debate Tournament at Pacific University, according to Brian Simmons, communication studies. Congratulations are due to the following students on their impressive accomplishments at that speech and debate tournament:

Patrick Dolan (FR, biochemistry) finished in the top 10 and earned the 7th Best Speaker overall in the Novice division.

Lakshmi Diener (FR, communication studies) finished in the top 10 and earned the 1st Best Speaker overall in the Novice division.

Chelsea Roberts (JR, communication studies) finished in the top 15 and earned the 11th Best Speaker overall in the Junior division.

John Russell (SR, civil engineering) finished in the top 4 and earned the 10th best Speaker overall in the Open division).

For more information contact Simmons at 8025 or simmonsb@up.edu.

Andrew Lafrenz, integrative health and wellness, presented “The Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on College Students Mental Well-Being and Physical Activity Levels” a poster presentation at the 2020 Oregon Public Health Association Annual Conference, Portland, OR, October 12-13, 2020. Conference provided virtually due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Stephanie Salomone, mathematics, wrote “Building and Sustaining Community by Centering Affective Learning Goals.” (with student coauthor Branwen Schaub) in Assessment Update Special Issue on the theme of “Adapting Assessment Methods to Rapidly Changing Circumstances,” Volume 32, Issue 6, Nov. 2020. Retrieved from https://assessmentinstitute.iupui.edu/au/index.html.

Rachel Wheeler, theology, had her article, “The Revelatory Tide: Desert Spirituality and Contemporary Water Crises,” published in Spiritus 20, no. 2 (Fall 2020): 176-193.

Jakob Kotas, mathematics, served as editor for Advances in Nonlinear Biological Systems: Modeling and Optimal Control, Applied Mathematics Series Vol. 11, American Institute of Mathematical Sciences (Oct. 2020). Available at this link. He also cowrote “An alternative model to prion fragmentation based on the detailed balance between PrPSc and suPrP” (with Monique Chyba, Vincent Beringue, Human Rezaei, Angelique Igel-Egalon, and student coauthors Yuliia Kravchenko, Christopher Eblen) in “Advances in Nonlinear Biological Systems: Modeling and Optimal Control, Applied Mathematics Series Vol. 11, American Institute of Mathematical Sciences (Oct. 2020).

Christina Ivler, Shiley School of Engineering, presented “Hover Handling Qualities of Fixed-Pitch, Variable-RPM Quadcopters with Increasing Rotor Diameter” (with Farhan Gandhi and student coauthors Ariel Walter, Michael McKay) and “Development and Flight Validation of Proposed Unmanned Aerial System Handling Qualities Requirements” (with Truong, K., Kerwin, D., Otomize, J., Parmer, D., Tischler, M.B., Gowans, N.) to the Vertical Flight Society 76^th Annual Forum, Oct. 6-8, 2020.

Susan McDaniel, performing and fine arts, presented three art songs attributed to Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799), one of the earliest known Western classical composers of African descent (with Arwen Myers, soprano) as part of “Celebrating Every Voice! A concert featuring music of BIPOC composers” at CollabFest, the online conference of the International Keyboard Collaborative Arts Society, 15 October 2020.

Rebecca Smith, education, had her article, “Flipped learning during a global pandemic: Empowering students with choice,” published in International Journal of Multidisciplinary Perspectives in Higher Education, 5(1), 100-105. See the article using this link.

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